Fancy cake and flowers

This Summer has been full of weddings for me as well as our family. We had two back to back in July and they were both very beautiful.

My husbands niece was married on July 17th and she requested that I make her wedding cake and flowers for her. I wanted this to be so pretty for her so I set out weeks ahead designing her cake.

I have to admit that this is the biggest wedding cake I have ever made and was scared to death it was going to go all wrong. Nonetheless I put on my Cookie girl cape, rolled up my sleeves and licked my fingers through 30 pounds of cake frosting. It was so much fun and tasty too!

Each tier of the cake was a different flavor. I did a traditional wedding cake, a Hawaiian sunset with coconut and pineapple filling, and a Lemon cream cake with a lemon and strawberry filling.

Each moist and flavorful cake was such a big hit with the guests. My favorite has to be the traditional wedding cake. You just can't beat a classic.

The flowers were a mix of colorful blooms including pink and white roses. Yes they were absolutely fake but turned out to be very pretty. They complimented the fuchsia bridesmaid dresses perfectly.

All in all I was pleased with how things turned out and the Bride was so happy with it too. Especially the fact that the cake was black and white. She had wanted that so bad and I surprised her with it.

Her expression when she first saw the cake

is what made it for me.

The Cookie Thief...Food for Thought

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shops.
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.


She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be.
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye."

With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,
She snatched it from him and thought... oooh, brother.
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude,
Why he didn't even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

How many times in our lives, have we absolutely known that something was a certain way,only to discover later that what we believed to be true ... was not?

Source: Chicken Soup for the Soul, copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
Author: Valerie Cox

O.R.E.O. Pudding

Ice cold milk and an Oreo cookie!

This is the jingle you will be singing when you make this pudding. Your family will love you for it. It is so easy you can even make it with the kids. They will love crushing up those cookies for you.



OREO PUDDING


1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 large tub whip topping
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 bag Oreo cookies

Place cookies in a ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin.

In large bowl combine all ingredients except cookies and blend together with and electric mixer. Add cookies stir until they are mixed in well.

You can make individual serving cups and garnish with strawberries or leave it all in one big bowl. Chill the pudding for at least and hour before serving.


Yummy in my tummy!

Need a weeknight meal to go along with this sweet treat?
Check out Chic Galleria and the Gourmet page.

Bakelove Bakewear

I am so excited to blog about these fun and vintage inspired T's by Bakelove that are great for any baker, and foodie alike. I fell in love with the Cupcake t-shirt as soon as I saw it and I have added it to my birthday list.

Bakelove carries different styles and colors available on their site and a size chart to assist you in that perfect fit. You can't beat the prices which make them great for gift giving.

Check them out when you get a chance and experience the Bakelove bakewear for yourself.

Three Snaps for Ginger Snaps

Today the weather is so nice out. It is a lot cooler than the hot Summer days we have been experiencing and Fall is in the air. These are the days when my spirit is renewed and creativity flows like a river, especially in my kitchen. So what better way to enjoy this time than with a recipe for a spicy Fall favorite, Ginger Snap cookies.

A little facts of the recipe and its ingredients:

Ginger Snaps- crackly topped cookies so named for the crisp texture of the classic version- are surprisingly, a secret ingredient in many recipes for the German stew sauerbraten.

The powerful spice in these cookies is not only ginger but cloves. Cloves are not seeds like most other spices but are actually dried flower buds. The pungent flavoring (used in small amounts) often works hand in hand with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Ginger Snaps

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 tsp cloves

1 egg

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 1/4 cups AP flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking soda

In large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, butter, molasses, and egg; beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in 1/4 cup sugar. Place 2 inches apart on un-greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-12 minutes or until set. ( cookies will puff up, then flatten during baking.) Cool 1 minute and remove from cookie sheets.

Yields 5 dozen cookies

Lucy should have had one of these......

Vintage and retro pictures, movies and kitchen products from decades past are one of my favorite things to indulge in when I have the time. I share this interest with many others, so it was no surprise while web surfing that I came across the cutest vintage-inspired aprons .

Inspired by a gorgeous apron and glove set from Paris, Carolyn West-Owner of Carolyn's Kitchen, began by discovering 1940's patterns and bringing them to life with her modern interpretive designs.

"I wanted to bring back the glamour, sexiness, and cuteness of a bygone innocent era. The gloves and fabrics are new and nicer - it's a new and improved version of the '40's."

I think I will be buying these for Christmas gifts this year. What a fun idea for all of the girlfriends in your life. Come on now...there is a little "cheesecake" in all of us! Don't you agree?

Wanna see more? Check out all of the fun designs and patterns here. Carolyn's Kitchen